love-hate relationship

American  

[luhv-heyt ri-ley-shuhn-ship] / ˈlʌvˈheɪt rɪˈleɪ ʃənˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a state of ambivalence in which one feels both love and hate for someone or something.

   Transylvania has something of a love-hate relationship with Dracula tourism.

   The love-hate relationship between directors and actors is entertainingly dissected in this kiss-and-tell memoir from the directing frontlines.

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Etymology

Origin of love-hate relationship

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

love-hate relationship

Yet they both continue to grow, that love-hate relationship with the public notwithstanding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

But for most people in most of the world, as I’ve written previously, it’s time to move on from eight tormented decades of an increasingly fraught love-hate relationship with America.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

Williams has something of a love-hate relationship with the Crucible, but after three previous successes he welcomed confirmation the World Championship will remain at the Sheffield venue until at least 2045.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

Society has a remarkable love-hate relationship with artificial sweeteners.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2025

This puzzled me until I remembered what Mum says about Kat and me having a love-hate relationship and I worked out that the same was true of Rashid and Aunt Gloria.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd